Taste Kenya | Beef Stew & Chapatis (Week 4)

I’m excited because today I get to introduce you to beef stew and chapatis, and my friend Kendra! Kendra and I were roomies in college and had lots of amazing adventures together on our 6 week tour of Europe after we graduated. Our first stop on our European tour was in New Castle, England. A family friend was a professional basketball coach there. Our parents We figured it would be a good idea to start off our trip by staying with people we knew.

Of course our very first morning in proper ‘ol England was a complete comedy of errors. Kendra woke up earlier than me (surprise, surprise) apparently trying to take a shower. But knobs and faucets are just not the same everywhere in the world. I woke up in a jet lagged stupor as Kendra rushed out of the room. Moments later Kendra rushed back in the room with our host, just seconds before the water in the bathtub decided to imitate Niagara Falls plunging to the bathroom floor.

As if that wasn’t bad enough Kendra fried her curling iron because voltage isn’t the same in Europe either. With that under our belts, we soon discovered we didn’t have warm enough clothes for English weather. We had to borrow sweaters. And wouldn’t you know it, they were matching. Different colors, but matching. So when all we wanted to do was look cool when we met up with my cousin who is a make-up artist in London, we ended up arriving on her doorstep looking like Tweedledum & Tweedledee.

Kendra and I looking like Tweedledum & Tweedledee for our debut in London

Years passed after our 6 week European holiday, and both Kendra and I got married. I actually ended up moving to Europe 5 months after my husband and I tied the knot. We lived in Granada, Spain for 3 years. And Kendra went to grad school, studied abroad in Kenya and eventually married a Kenyan who lived in the States. And this is where the beef stew ties in to the story.

My husband, daughter and I drove to D.C. to visit Kendra and her husband for a few days one summer. Kendra had learned some Kenyan recipes. One night she made an incredibly delicious beef stew with round pieces of flat bread called chapatis for dinner. In honor of Kendra, I want to pass this recipe on to you.

Beef Stew Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef stew meat
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 2 cups carrots
• 2 cups celery
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 tablespoons tapioca
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 can beef broth soup

Instructions:

• Chop all the veggies
• Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook 6 hours on high – that’s it!

Chapatis in a handmade platter my husband brought me from Kenya

 Chapati Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 10 ml oil (for mixing into the dough)
• pinch of salt
• additional oil for cooking

Instructions:

• I would allow at least an hour to make these if it is your first time, which includes 15 minutes for the dough to rest
• The best way to learn is by watching this 3 1/2 minute Chef Raphael tutorial

Watching the tutorial helped me immensely. I read various chapati recipes that said to roll the dough into a coil. I really could not picture that until I watched the video. I hope you will enjoy this recipe for Kenyan Beef Stew and Homemade Chapatis. It was so good that even my picky 2 year old gobbled it down with a messy faced smile.

This is the final week exploring Kenya. I hoped you have enjoyed your time in Africa. Can you tell me at least one thing you learned about Kenya in the comment section before you go? Thanks & Bon Apetite!

 This post is linked up over at… Smart Schoolhouse , Sincerely Paula , With A Blast ,Cornerstone Confessions , Social Media Saturdays , Laugh & Learn Link Up , True Aim , Education Possible , All Things With Purpose , Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop, Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth